WEBVTT SUNNY CHEM.IT'S AN ALREADY HEATED CAMPAIGNSEASON.AFTER ISSUING A TEARFUL APOLOGY.>> I WOULD NEVER DO ANYTHING TOHURT -- SORRY.REPORTER: MAYOR JOHN CRANLEYCONTINUED APOLOGIZING TOCINCINNATI POLICE OFFICERSTODAY.>> IT WAS A HUGE MISTAKE AND IAM DEEPLY SORRY.REPORTER: A PROCLAMATION HISOFFICE ISSUED AN HONOR OF TRADEDAY, THE MAN WHO SHOT AND KILLEDSUNNY CAM.HE DIED IN A FIREFIGHT WITHOTHER OFFICERS.>> IT WAS NOT INTENDED IN HISHEART, I AM 100% SURE OF THAT.REPORTER: HIS FATHER MADE AREQUEST TO THE MAYOR'S OFFICEAND WHEN HE FELT THE REQUEST ISNOT HANDLED WEEKLY ENOUGH, HEREACHED OUT.SHE SUGGESTED THEY CONTACTWENDELL YOUNG'S PUBLIC AFFAIRSDIRECTOR.YOUNG SAYS HE NEVER SAW THECONTROVERSIAL REQUEST.YOUNG SAYS HIS STAFF SIMPLYFORWARDED A MESSAGE ABOUT AREQUEST THAT ORIGINATED FROM THEMAYOR'S OFFICE.>> I'M NOT EVEN SURE THEY PAIDATTENTION TO WHO THE GUY WAS.REPORTER: IT MAY STRIKE SOME ASSUSPECT THE CRANLEY SAYS THEBUCK STOPS WITH HIM.THE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONSSAYS THAT SHE RELEASED THEPROCLAMATION AND THOUGHT IT WASPROMOTING AWARENESS ABOUT MENTALHEALTH ISSUES.

A day of dignity for police officers throughout Greater Cincinnati was nearly overshadowed by a mistake in the office of Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley.

After delivery a tearful apology Thursday night, Cranley continued to apologize to police officers Friday during Police Memorial Week at Fountain Square.

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"It was a huge mistake, and I am deeply sorry," Cranley said.

The mistake, Cranley said, was a proclamation his office issued in honor of "Tre Day."

Tre is Trepierre Hummons, the man who shot and killed Cincinnati police Officer Sonny Kim two years ago. Hummons died in a firefight with other officers.

"I know one thing, what happened was not anything intended in Mayor Cranley's heart," said Sgt. Dan Hils, president of Cincinnati's Fraternal Order of Police. "That's the thing I'm 100 percent sure of."

The path of the proclamation, which has since been retracted, has raised eyebrows.

According to emails WLWT investigator Todd Dykes obtained, Hummons' father, Ronald, made a request to the mayor's office last week. Ronald Hummons wanted a proclamation for his son's birthday. He also wanted the proclamation to recognize the Trepierre Foundation, an organization started by the elder Hummons to raise awareness about mental health issues and child abuse.

When Ronald Hummons felt his request was not handled quickly enough, he reached out to Cincinnati council candidate Tamaya Dennard.

Dykes tried to reach out to Dennard for a comment on her role in the proclamation controversy. According to emails, Dennard initially tried to help Ronald Hummons with the proclamation process. Dykes has not been able to reach Dennard at this point.

Young said he never saw the controversial request.

Young said his staff simply forwarded a message about Ronald Hummons' request that originated in the mayor's office.

"If I had seen it, yeah, I would have caught it," Young said. "But there was no reason for my staff to check anything. I'm not even sure they paid attention to who the guy was. (It was) just a matter of, here's a guy who's got a request into your office who's not hearing anything back."

While the timing of the controversy, erupting during Police Memorial Week, may strike some as suspect, Young, who once worked for Cincinnati's police department, said no one should point a finger at him.

"I don't know what Mr. Hummons' ulterior motive may have been, if he even had one," Young said. "I just know in John's office they should have vetted that request and they didn't ... I don't want anybody to ever think that me, being a former cop, I would ever have anything to do with honoring a cop killer. I just would not do it."

Cranley said the buck stops with him.

"We immediately retracted the resolution that caused harm to the Kim family and anyone else associated in all of law enforcement," Cranley said. "It was unintentional. As I said at Sonny Kim's funeral, the decision to call 911 with the intentional purpose of murdering the police officer who responded to that call was a monstrous act of evil, and a reminder of how thin the line is between peace and chaos."